Coming of Age

Coming of Age is a classic theme for fantastic literature, and the authors place this work firmly within that tradition by starting with the main character a young boy and taking him on a journey that will leave him, in many respects, a man.

All of the other principle themes of the book and the most important conflicts can be viewed in the way that they either allow Jack to exhibit greater powers of maturity and self-assuredness, or they challenge him to face a dark, gritty and unwholesome truth of the world that he about to grow up within. Even the physical journey that he makes across America is also accompanied metaphorically by the journey to adulthood; where he makes a few mistakes, makes a few friends, realises certain truths about himself and his world, and works out 'who he is.'